First Trial for Man Who Killed High School Student Dreaming of Becoming Paramedic Set for Her 49th Day Memorial

The first trial for Jang Yun-gi, who is charged with murdering a high school student he did not know on a street in Gwangju, will be held on the day of the 49th-day memorial service for the victim, the late Lee Chae-won.

The Gwangju District Court is scheduled to hold the first trial for Jang Yun-gi, who was arrested and indicted on charges including murder following rape under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, at 10:00 a.m. on June 22.

This day marks 49 days since the passing of Lee Chae-won, who had dreamed of becoming an emergency medical technician.

The bereaved family plans to hold a memorial service at the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education's Citizen Cooperation Promotion Center on Saturday, June 21, to allow the victim's friends to attend.

Additionally, civic groups, including the Gwangju-Jeonnam Women's Association United, have decided to hold a press conference at the Gwangju District Court on June 22, the day of the first trial, to demand a stern punishment for Jang.

Jang is accused of stabbing and killing Lee with a weapon on May 5 after failing to kidnap her for the purpose of sexual assault on a deserted pedestrian path in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju.

The prosecution's indictment also includes charges that Jang brandished a weapon and injured a male high school student who tried to help the victim at the scene, as well as charges of stalking and sexually assaulting a foreign woman, identified as A, who was his part-time job colleague.

During the investigation, Jang repeatedly claimed that he committed the crime impulsively while contemplating suicide.

However, the prosecution applied the charge of murder following rape—rather than general murder—based on evidence that Jang subdued the victim from behind and attempted to drag her toward a vehicle, and that the circumstances and methods were identical to the sexual assault he committed against A.

Unlike the general murder charge, which has a minimum sentence of five years in prison, this charge is punishable only by the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Therefore, whether the prosecution can prove that Jang's crime was premeditated is expected to be the key issue in this trial.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.